Free Republic

She's appeared at Tea Party rallies across the country and long been considered the movement's de facto leader, but a new CNN poll out Friday suggests Sarah Palin isn't the group's clear favorite for the White House.

BEFORE THE PERSONNEL BOARD OF THE STATE OF ALASKA OFFICE OF THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL In re Ethics Complaint of April 27, 2009 FINDINGS OF INDEPENDENT COUNSEL, CONSENT DECREE AND SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT By agreement, the undersigned Independent Counsel, appointed to investigate whether probable cause exists to prosecute this matter, enters these findings of fact and conclusions of law with respect to the above described complaint (the "Complaint"). Additionally, based upon these findings, former Governor Sarah Palin ("Governor Palin") agrees to the settlement provisions set forth below and agrees to abide by the following remedy in lieu of formal proceedings pursuant to...

BEFORE THE PERSONNEL BOARD OF THE STATE OF ALASKA OFFICE OF THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL In re Ethics Complaint of April 27, 2009 FINDINGS OF INDEPENDENT COUNSEL, CONSENT DECREE AND SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT By agreement, the undersigned Independent Counsel, appointed to investigate whether probable cause exists to prosecute this matter, enters these findings of fact and conclusions of law with respect to the above described complaint (the "Complaint"). Additionally, based upon these findings, former Governor Sarah Palin ("Governor Palin") agrees to the settlement provisions set forth below and agrees to abide by the following remedy in lieu of formal proceedings pursuant to...

Full text below as copy is from ADN which can only be excerpted.

BEFORE THE PERSONNEL BOARD OF THE STATE OF ALASKA OFFICE OF THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL In re Ethics Complaint of April 27, 2009 FINDINGS OF INDEPENDENT COUNSEL, CONSENT DECREE AND SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT By agreement, the undersigned Independent Counsel, appointed to investigate whether probable cause exists to prosecute this matter, enters these findings of fact and conclusions of law with respect to the above described complaint (the "Complaint"). Additionally, based upon these findings, former Governor Sarah Palin ("Governor Palin") agrees to the settlement provisions set forth below and agrees to abide by the following remedy in lieu of formal proceedings pursuant to...

One of the most flogged excuses by both Palin and her supporters for her resignation as Governor of Alaska was that ethics complaints were "bankrupting" her. But the Independent Council Report issued in conjunction with the decision on her Legal Defense Fund says otherwise. Not only does it show the State of Alaska offered to make payments for her legal costs it shows that even bfore the election the Palin campaign was making alternate plans to not only get the McCain campaign to pay for them but to hit up the Rnc AND set up a legal defense fund. When...

Information in this post is gleened from two sources; http://www.facebook.com/notes/sarah-palin/the-cost-of-legal-warfare-a-few-words-about-todays-defense-fund-agreement/401885808434 http://www.adn.com/2010/06/24/1339431/settlement-of-ethics-complaint.html Yesterday, Sarah Palin's legal defense fund was judged to be in violation of State ethics laws. I have followed this controversy and to be fair, I found the objections to it to be a little thin, but most of us don't live in Alaska and are not famliar with the subtle tones of their ethics laws and issues. I will say this, IMO most if not al of the problems with it could have been avoided early on but Palin in concert with her advisors made several bad decisions...

Convicted Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is asking for donations to help retire legal obligations and penalties incurred during his obstruction of justice trial. He is making this request from his new 1 million dollar home he moved into shortly after leaving prison. The link includes a Paypal button which accepts donations as small as 1 cent. Be advised the transaction charges the Kwame account 30 cents. http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/convicted-detroit-mayor-kwame-kilpatrick-seeks-help-paying-debts/19467998 http://friendsofkwame.com/

ANy LOST fans out there in FReeperland? Tonights the night...

As the Long-Discussed Energy Project Finally Advances, Discoveries of Fields Outside the State Threaten Chances. The discovery of huge new natural-gas fields across the contiguous U.S. is threatening Alaska's plans for a pipeline to export gas to the lower 48 states. Two rival consortiums, each backed by major energy companies, are competing to build the pipeline, designed to carry gas from Alaska's North Slope to continental markets. Alaskans hope that gas will help offset falling oil production, as transported here from the North Slope. .But even as the project is poised to get off the ground after decades of discussion,...

...Palin endorses John McCain? Top ten... 1) She's just "playing the game". Standing on principle and voting the RINO's out is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with Sarah becoming prez. 2) If Sarah says supporting RINO's is okay, that's good enough for me. The Messiah is infallible and what do I know?. 3) She's not being inconsistent, she's making a tactical retreat, but hey that's politics. 4) A smart move by the smartest woman in the world. 5) She didn't want to but the dims threatened to file an ethics complaint if she didn't. 6) She's not quiting,...

Loved this... "While some conservatives are sure to be disappointed by the donations to two pols they consider to be Vichy Republicans, the relative few who will be genuinely outraged probably weren't that firmly entrenched in the Palin camp to begin with. On the other side of the coin, the donations will quite likely sit well with moderates and independents, two demographic groups which Sarah Palin knows she must improve her standing with in order to win a general election." So if you are against helping RINO's get reelected, you "probably weren't that firmly entrenched in the Palin camp to...

We've all heard of the "litmus" tests people have put forth to gauge someones applicability to being a conservative. The problem is there are just too many options! The recent 10 point test is just too extensive, in fact I'm not sure I've ever met anyone who agrees with me on all my own my top ten conservative talking points. So let's focus it a bit. If there were 3 issues that we all could agree on as being essentially conservative, what would those be for you? It could include right to life, small government, low taxes, strong military, 2nd...

Don't know if this has been yet presented on FR. Also, I'm not posting this to titillate all the dirty old men on FR, but I'm sure they will get a charge out of it.

Chapter 6In Summary: Ten Things I Learned From Reading Going Rogue This was a bad and unhelpful book. It was not bad because it was simple. Goldwater (or his ghost) used fewer pages in Conscience of a Conservative and said more. It was not bad because it was autobiographical. Though I don’t like his politics, President Obama confessed more and said it better in Dreams from My Father. If you don’t believe that this book is bad, then read (really do!) Ronald Reagan’s autobiography Where’s the Rest of Me? Ronald Reagan showed more substance in his delightful book written mostly...

Chapter 5Chapter Six Here at last I will get to read the Palin agenda for the future. If she is going to run for President, here is her manifesto . . . but there are too few pages left for that. Here at least I will get a glimpse of what she wants for the nation. I will not demand too much of this chapter and will hope that at long last I can see the glimmers of a plan, a platform, a plausible path to the White House. Of course, if she is not running for office, or even...

Chapter 4Chapter Five I have changed my mind about one issue by the end of this book. Palin’s resignation as governor now makes a good deal of sense to me. The media pressure and ethics complaints did not fade away and she was no longer able to do her job. I thought her resignation nearly a “deal breaker,” but that was a hasty judgment on my part. Surely the day will come when the media will tire of kicking Palin and then she will get peace. Some will argue that Palin is getting rich off of her media exposure, but...

Chapter 3Chapter Four At last the chapter for which we have all been waiting: Sarah Palin is picked as McCain’s running mate. For those of us who were Palin fans before the announcement it is is interesting to read what was happening behind the news stories. Palin was treated badly by the media. They sneered at her like she was a Window user at a Mac convention. She was hit harder than anyone I have ever seen . . . and the McCain camp was not ready. They mishandled the issue of her daughter’s pregnancy by not getting ahead of...

Chapter 2Chapter Three Palin runs and wins an election for governor in this chapter. The pace of this book reminds you of how young Palin really is for national life. She truly is an outsider. She hates “deals” and “power brokers.” Post-Obama and the Great Recession it would be foolish to dismiss this authentic rage. She sounds most herself when she hitting corrupt special interests that lock people out of decision making. She sounds least like herself when repeating 1980’s Republican bromides. Palin is a populist of the heart, but too sensible to let her populism take her to the...

Intro and Chapter 1Chapter 2 On Aristotle Palin begins her second chapter with a quote from Aristotle. I think I must be going mad, but I cannot remember this quotation either. Where is it? I cannot find a reference in any book I own . . . but then I am writing this as I read her book. Can someone help me? Did Aristotle say, ” Criticism is something we can avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing?” I want a reference to the text. It is surely not possible that in less than one hundred pages that Palin...